Hi again. This is another update. I passed my exam!!!! Hence the new title to my page. I put my first initials so that the credentials all fit on one line. LOL. I am now a certified CT Technologist. I didn't want to celebrate until I recieved my certificate in the mail and my updated credential card, but since I'm talking about the fight, I may as well put that out there. The test was extremely difficult, and rightly comparable to a physician's test. It's a test that many are clamoring to take and pass now, since the New National laws will require this certification come January. It's also a test that many have been failing left and right. I was hyperventilating and palpitating throughout the exam. When I got my score- which appears onscreen after it's over, I was in disbelief at first, and then in ecstasy.
To celebrate, me and my wife went to Longhorn Steakhouse, where after looking at the menu, I ended up getting a chicken meal. Next time, I'll get a steak. I don't really eat red meat actually. The drink was good too. I had a Petrone Margarita which gave just enough buzz to accent the evening.
Now, onto the reason I came to give this update. I still don't like Hopkins being the underdog in this fight by a 7 to 1 margin. I do want to clarify that Kovalev is equipped to win fights. I just don't see a resume that gives him a nod over Hopkins. Watching the workout footage yesterday, I saw a few things that stood out. Not to sound funny, but being serious, Kovalev reminds me alot of myself when he hits the mitts and the bag. He makes the same snap and sounds I used to make when I was with my coach. And he throws very similar combinations, and moves similar. But just like my coach told me, it's just one good thing to have that physicality. Watching a guy like myself or Kovalev hit the mitts and drop journeymen boxers, a layman will think that it's the entire package. The mental aspect to boxing is much bigger. That's why even with talent, you can remain relatively obscure in boxing, as you try to move up the ranks. Kovalev has never had to adjust his chin after getting it turned around. He's never had to adjust to smoother boxing tactics or tighter defense, when a conditioned opponent is walking him down; or when a defensive opponent isn't giving him the looks that he wants. All of that is what boxing is. And the truth is, that no matter how talented you are, there is no substitute for those experiences.
I believe in myself quite a bit. I know that I have a boxing mind and good conditioning and skills, just like I know Kovalev does. But I'm realistic enough to know that, unless I can reinvent myself in the middle of a fight, or my training camp leading up to a fight with Hopkins, my physical presence isn't going to keep me from being at a disadvantage. I'm not saying that Kovalev can't win. People keep putting those words in my mouth. I'm saying that boxing is what boxing is about. Gameplan wise, if Kovalev can keep changing distance and angles and work his jab, always keeping his right hand buried in combinations, he has a good chance. If Hopkins can establish a stiff jab, and hard check hook, to keep Sergey honest, he stands a good chance. This should be a good one. All of the fans, I know want Kovalev to come out like Glen Johnson did against Roy Jones. Because they know that deep down, that's his only chance.
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